Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening! Welcome back to the Injury Ward. My name is Logan Clarkson and every Wednesday and Sunday I will be taking you through injury news and updates from around the NHL. I'll do my best to offer useful analysis and opinion as it relates to fantasy throughout. At the end of the article is the Quarantine section, where any players out due to illness will be listed. As always, I’d like to thank every single one of you for reading. So, on to the bad (and some good) news.

Injuries / Leaves

Dylan Holloway / St. Louis Blues – Holloway (ankle) did not play Saturday versus the Kings but is expected to practice Monday, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports. Holloway was injured during the week and returned to St. Louis to have an MRI on a high ankle sprain. We know high ankle sprains can be quite fickle, so it will make sense if he struggles to get back to his A game that showed itself in his sophomore season last year. Having just 17 points in 34 games played this year, he has dropped off considerably from the 0.82 PTS/G pace he managed in 2024-25. At just 0.50 PTS/G this year, it's going to take quite a recovery for him to continue growing as a fantasy asset. On the bright side, his hits and SOG/G are both up slightly over last year.

Scott Wedgewood / Colorado Avalanche – Wedgewood (personal) was designated as a non-roster player Saturday but then activated from the non-roster list on Sunday. However, he did not dress for Sunday's day game in Toronto. Congratulations to Scott and his wife Brittany on the birth of their second child! Wedgewood is having the time of his life in Colorado, with just three regulation losses in 30 games played so far this season. He's 20-3-5 so far, and is the holder of a .917 SV% and a 15.20 GSAx. Unreal numbers for any goalie this far into the season, let alone one that's part of a time share. Add in 19 QS and a 2.14 GAA and you've got a recipe for one of the highest point totals for a team of all time. Mackenzie Blackwood will be taking over in goal until he's back, and we might even see Trent Miner sneak a start in.

Kiefer Sherwood / San Jose Sharks – Sherwood (upper body) hopes to be ready in time to face Vancouver on Tuesday, Max Miller of NHL.com reports Thursday. Sherwood, who was just traded to San Jose from Vancouver, must be breathing easy. Going to a sunny state with an up-and-coming team has to lift your spirits when your former squad is currently huffing and puffing down in 32nd in the league. Kiefer, known for his hits mostly, as he already has 210 of them in 44 games so far this season, will be playing next to some high skill if he slots into one of San Jose's top three lines. He may however, be taking Ryan Reaves' spot on the fourth line, pushing Reaves down to the AHL Barracuda.

Anze Kopitar / Los Angeles Kings – Kopitar (lower body) didn’t skate with the Kings on Thursday, but he will join the team for their upcoming six-game road trip, Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period reports. Anze has had a steep drop off this year in his age 38 season. He's gone from 0.83 PTS/G to just 0.57 in a matter of months. His shooting percentage is way down albeit still at 12.2%, but it seems as if he may finally be finished putting up fantasy worthy numbers.

Luke Hughes / New Jersey Devils – Hughes (shoulder) was placed on long-term injured reserve Wednesday, retroactive to January 19. Hughes signed a large contract in the offseason worth $9 million a year. He's been taking tons of heat this season because he just hasn't shown that he's taken any steps yet to have amassed those sorts of riches. Keep in mind, he's only 22 years of age and defenders usually take a few years longer than most forwards to become formidable. He's battling with Dougie Hamilton for power-play time, and with Simon Nemec showing his knack for finding the open man and the open goal, it's going to be an uphill battle for him.

William Nylander / Toronto Maple Leafs – Nylander (groin) skated before Saturday’s practice, Mark Masters of TSN reports. However, he did not play on Sunday. Nylander aggravated his last injury that kept him out for four games. Seeing him go in and out of the lineup has been frustrating for owners, not only because he was a high pick in most drafts but because he has irrefutably been producing as such. A 106-point pace on the season with 12 points in his last six games has people with their head in their hands getting the injury notification every second week. Under the hood, Willy has actually seen a drop off in SOG/G this season from 3.1 to 2.0 and an increase in S% from 17.7 to 22.7. That indicates him slowing down at some point when he does return, but if he's been doing it while injured half the season in the first place, I’m not going to be calling my bookie to ask for odds on that slow down.

Shayne Gostisbehere / Carolina Hurricanes – Gostisbehere (lower body) was kept out of last night's game in Ottawa again, making that his fifth game in a row that he's missed. High risk, high reward this season with the Ghost Bear. He's scoring at a ridiculous 0.91 PTS/GP in the 35 games he has featured in, and is even over 2 SOG/GP on the season. The Hurricanes' powerplay has figured it out over the last two weeks without him, having nine PPG in their last eight games. Similar pacing to early on in the season when Shayne put up some even more gaudy numbers during its first burst of production. Alexander Nikishin has been occupying the blueline on the top power play in his absence.

Quarantine

Jack Finley / TBL, Max Crozier / TBL, Lawson Crouse / UTA, Cole Reinhardt / VGK

Thanks again for reading, and please give me a follow, you can find me here on Twitter/X @LOGoalz for any questions, concerns, or abuse you may want to shower me with. Have a great week people!